HEN Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought
Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish
thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted.
Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious
honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis
when they came to discuss terms.'We have not cared to live in
the place ourselves,' said Lord Canterville, 'since my grandaunt,
the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from
which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being
placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I
feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen
by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector
of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of
King's College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to
the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us,
and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in
consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor
and the library.''My Lord,' answered the Minister,
'I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I come
from a modern country, where we have everything that money can
buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World
red, and carrying off your best actresses and prima-donnas, I
reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe,
we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public
museums, or on the road as a show.''I fear that the ghost exists,'
said Lord Canterville, smiling, 'though it may have resisted
the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well
known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes
its appearance before the death of any member of our family.''Well, so does the family doctor
for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing,
sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going
to be suspended for the British aristocracy.''You are certainly very natural
in America,' answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand
Mr. Otis's last observation, 'and if you don't mind a ghost in
the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you.'A few weeks after this, the purchase
was completed, and at the close of the season the Minister and
his family went down to Canterville Chase. Mrs. Otis, who, as
Miss Lucretia R. Tappan, of West 53rd Street, had been a celebrated
New York belle, was now a very handsome, middle-aged woman, with
fine eyes, and a superb profile. Many American ladies on leaving
their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health,
under the impression that it is a form of European refinement,
but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent
constitution, and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits.
Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent
example of the fact that we have really everything in common
with America nowadays, except, of course, language. Her eldest
son, christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism,
which he never ceased to regret, was a fair-haired, rather good-looking
young man, who had qualified himself for American diplomacy by
leading the German at the Newport Casino for three successive
seasons, and even in London was well known as an excellent dancer.
Gardenias and the peerage were his only weaknesses. Otherwise
he was extremely sensible. Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little
girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine
freedom in her large blue eyes. She was a wonderful amazon, and
had once raced old Lord Bilton on her pony twice round the park,
winning by a length and a half, just in front of the Achilles
statue, to the huge delight of the young Duke of Cheshire, who
proposed for her on the spot, and was sent back to Eton that
very night by his guardians, in floods of tears. After Virginia
came the twins, who were usually called 'The Stars and Stripes,'
as they were always getting swished. They were delightful boys,
and with the exception of the worthy Minister the only true republicans
of the family.As Canterville Chase is seven
miles from Ascot, the nearest railway station, Mr. Otis had telegraphed
for a waggonette to meet them, and they started on their drive
in high spirits. It was a lovely July evening, and the air was
delicate with the scent of the pine- woods. Now and then they
heard a wood pigeon brooding over its own sweet voice, or saw,
deep in the rustling fern, the burnished breast of the pheasant.
Little squirrels peered at them from the beech-trees as they
went by, and the rabbits scudded away through the brushwood and
over the mossy knolls, with their white tails in the air. As
they entered the avenue of Canterville Chase, however, the sky
became suddenly overcast with clouds, a curious stillness seemed
to hold the atmosphere, a great flight of rooks passed silently
over their heads, and, before they reached the house, some big
drops of rain had fallen.Standing on the steps to receive
them was an old woman, neatly dressed in black silk, with a white
cap and apron. This was Mrs. Umney, the housekeeper, whom Mrs.
Otis, at Lady Canterville's earnest request, had consented to
keep on in her former position. She made them each a low curtsey
as they alighted, and said in a quaint, old-fashioned manner,
'I bid you welcome to Canterville Chase.' Following her, they
passed through the fine Tudor hall into the library, a long,
low room, panelled in black oak, at the end of which was a large
stained-glass window. Here they found tea laid out for them,
and, after taking off their wraps, they sat down and began to
look round, while Mrs. Umney waited on them.Suddenly Mrs. Otis caught sight
of a dull red stain on the floor just by the fireplace and, quite
unconscious of what it really signified, said to Mrs. Umney,
'I am afraid something has been spilt there.''Yes, madam,' replied the old
housekeeper in a low voice, 'blood has been spilt on that spot.''How horrid,' cried Mrs. Otis;
'I don't at all care for blood- stains in a sitting-room. It
must be removed at once.'The old woman smiled, and answered
in the same low, mysterious voice, 'It is the blood of Lady Eleanore
de Canterville, who was murdered on that very spot by her own
husband, Sir Simon de Canterville, in 1575. Sir Simon survived
her nine years, and disappeared suddenly under very mysterious
circumstances. His body has never been discovered, but his guilty
spirit still haunts the Chase. The blood-stain has been much
admired by tourists and others, and cannot be removed.''That is all nonsense,' cried
Washington Otis; 'Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon
Detergent will clean it up in no time,' and before the terrified
housekeeper could interfere he had fallen upon his knees, and
was rapidly scouring the floor with a small stick of what looked
like a black cosmetic. In a few moments no trace of the blood-stain
could be seen.'I knew Pinkerton would do it,'
he exclaimed triumphantly, as he looked round at his admiring
family; but no sooner had he said these words than a terrible
flash of lightning lit up the sombre room, a fearful peal of
thunder made them all start to their feet, and Mrs. Umney fainted.'What a monstrous climate!' said
the American Minister calmly, as he lit a long cheroot. 'I guess
the old country is so overpopulated that they have not enough
decent weather for everybody. I have always been of opinion that
emigration is the only thing for England.''My dear Hiram,' cried Mrs. Otis,
'what can we do with a woman who faints?''Charge it to her like breakages,'
answered the Minister; 'she won't faint after that'; and in a
few moments Mrs. Umney certainly came to. There was no doubt,
however, that she was extremely upset, and she sternly warned
Mr. Otis to beware of some trouble coming to the house.'I have seen things with my own
eyes, sir,' she said, 'that would make any Christian's hair stand
on end, and many and many a night I have not closed my eyes in
sleep for the awful things that are done here.' Mr. Otis, however,
and his wife warmly assured the honest soul that they were not
afraid of ghosts, and, after invoking the blessings of Providence
on her new master and mistress, and making arrangements for an
increase of salary, the old housekeeper tottered off to her own
room.
[Chapter Two]